I was reading over Jack Smart’s “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism” for 101 tomorrow, and I came across the following wonderful line in the middle of a rousing condemnation of rule utilitarianism.

bq. You might as well say that a person ought to be picked to play for Australia just because all his brothers have been, or that then Australian team should be composed entirely of the Harvey family because this would be better than composing it entirely of any other family.

If only I could write so well. Sadly I fear my students over here won’t get all the references.

By the way, wasn’t Trevor Chappell picked for Australia on just this principle? Maybe some selectors read Smart and missed the intended rhetorical force.

I was reading over Jack Smart’s “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism” for 101 tomorrow, and I came across the following wonderful line in the middle of a rousing condemnation of rule utilitarianism.

bq. You might as well say that a person ought to be picked to play for Australia just because all his brothers have been, or that then Australian team should be composed entirely of the Harvey family because this would be better than composing it entirely of any other family.

If only I could write so well. Sadly I fear my students over here won’t get all the references.

By the way, wasn’t Trevor Chappell picked for Australia on just this principle? Maybe some selectors read Smart and missed the intended rhetorical force.